


Cat's Paw

by james



Series: Cat Scratch Fever [2]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst and Humor, Crack, M/M, Transformation, Werecat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-19
Updated: 2011-06-19
Packaged: 2017-10-20 13:19:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/213207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/james/pseuds/james
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny's point of view of his first transformation in front of Steve.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cat's Paw

Top of the fridge. Not the best place to hide, but it provided the best vantage point to see anyone -- see _Steve_ coming so he could make a break for it. Danny didn't think about how easy it was to get on top of the fridge, barely paying attention as he leapt, and later, when he was human again, he wouldn't even be able to remember the details. Had he leapt to the counter, first? The chair, counter, then fridge? Hell, for all he'd be able to tell later he'd shot himself all the way to the top in one leap.

Things were always fuzzy after he'd turned, and no, he didn't expect to share that piece of information with Steve, ever, because of the way Steve would tease him about it for the rest of his life.

Danny had discovered that the more immature a joke was, the more likely Steve would think it was the best thing he'd ever heard. If Hawai'i had been better built for long road trips, he could have shoved Steve in the back seat with Grace and the two of them would be able to entertain each other for _hours._

Danny settled down, resting his chin on his paws, and waited. He could feel the tip of his tail flicking reflexively; he could have held it still but there was no need. He wanted to keep his attention concentrated on the inevitable so he focused himself on the doorway. He waited, feeling the warm vibrations of the fridge move through him. It was actually pretty nice, and Danny didn't even bother trying to keep his eyes open, trusting his hearing to alert him when Steve made an appearance.

Minutes later was jolted from a sound sleep and he opened his eyes in surprise to find Steve's face inches from his own, looking at him calmly. Danny realised he'd jumped to his feet even as he'd woken and he stared, shooting a look upwards for the hand he expected to see coming to grab him -- but there was nothing. He shuffled sideways and risked a glance over the edge of the fridge and saw that Steve was standing on a chair.

Watching him.

Danny gave Steve a look. _Surely you can't be this weird,_ he thought.

Steve grinned. "Are you ready to come down?" he asked, and his voice -- Danny wanted to hiss at him for using the aren't-you-an-adorable-kitty voice. Danny backed up until his butt was against the wall, then crouched down, ready to let Steve know just how much he wasn't ready to come down, in case Steve thought he needed a hand.

Sure enough, Steve raised his hand -- but there was something in it. A closed container, but as soon as Steve pried the edge open Danny could smell it. _Fish._ He was up and forward and had his nose crammed into the container before he could even think about whether it was a trap, but he was starving, and the fish smelled awesome -- and no, he didn't care that it was the world's biggest cliche. He was starving and Steve had fish and Danny just had to shove his head down into the container a little bit farther and he could get all of it.

He felt Steve picking him up around the middle, but Steve was still holding the fish where Danny could get at it, so he didn't much care. One bite and he was in heaven -- it was fresh and raw, and Danny didn't even wonder where Steve had gotten it, only wondered if there would be more when this was gone.

He kept eating as Steve carried him away from the fridge, felt Steve sit down and settle Danny in his lap. Danny got his feet under him and tucked his tail around his paws neatly as he devoured the fish -- even ignoring Steve when he ran his hand down Danny's back. He'd swipe him for it later, sure, but right now there was fish.

When the chunks of it were gone and Danny was licking at the corners to be completely certain he'd got every last molecule, the container moved away. Danny yowled his annoyance, glaring at Steve who was still grinning like a loon. Danny scowled, then began cleaning his paws -- and because you never knew when a bit of fish had got itself stuck to a piece of fur. He sat in Steve's lap and washed his paws, then began cleaning his face only to stop and swipe a claw at Steve.

Steve didn't stop laughing, wrapping one hand around Danny as he leaned back in the kitchen chair, apparently about to lose his balance. Danny flicked out all of his claws, digging them into Steve's thighs -- for balance and traction, of course, not for anything else at all -- and leapt off Steve's lap and made a break for the other room.

He heard the kitchen chair scraping against the floor and dove under the couch, then had to scramble back out again because he had five seconds, four, three--

"Hey, that didn't take long," Steve said as he came into the room.

Danny stood up, not caring that he was fully naked and not really paying any attention to the way Steve's eyes seemed locked on parts south. "It's never the same," he said, still feeling annoyed. He knew what would be coming -- unless Steve had spent Danny's nap calling Rachel and harassing her for details. From the look that was appearing on Steve's face he guessed not; Steve looked like he was eager to start conducting a hundred experiments and gathering data and generally being an irritating science geek about the whole thing.

"The answer is no," Danny said, not really expecting that to slow Steve down very much. Steve was frowning at him, and Danny held up a hand. "Not right now, because I have a headache and everything is sore and I'm starving again, and if you make me stand here and answer questions I am going to shoot you, for real."

Steve glanced up and down Danny's body, eyebrow raised, then he gave Danny an expectant look.

Danny sighed. "Okay, no, I will not shoot you, because that would imply you'd done something nice that meant you deserved sex. Which you do not, by the way, because I am extremely vexed with you."

Steve blinked at him. "What'd I do? I gave you fish!"

"And the incessant petting?"

Steve gave him what was probably intended to be a cute look. Which, Danny was not amused to admit, it really sort of was. Steve just said, "So, touching you is bad?" He moved forward, hand out and glancing again at Danny's various naked parts.

"Headache. Food. Massage later, if you want to make me like you again."

Steve frowned. "Are you always this cranky when you've turned into a cat?"

"Afterwards, yes," Danny snapped. At Steve's startled look, Danny sighed. He rubbed his face -- his human, naked, aching face -- and sighed. He waved Steve forward and reached out for him, getting his hand on Steve's arm and torn between wanting to wrap himself in an embrace, and keeping Steve as far out of reach as he could for the next few moments.

"What can I do?" Steve asked, and this time he was serious.

"I'm just..." Danny sighed again. "I'm sorry. It's just difficult." He took a deep breath, and forced himself to look up at Steve. "It's hard turning back to this," he said. "I only ever change for a little while, half an hour, maybe an hour. It's..." He gestured at his body. "This isn't what I used to be. Changing back only reminds me...what I lost."

Steve stared at him, and Danny could see the realization hit him. Steve's mouth dropped open, and Danny could feel the tension in Steve's arm; Danny let go and stepped away, feeling the instinct to flee again, only the best places to run and hide were out of reach for him, like this. He had to fight his instincts, reminding himself that he couldn't, had to stay like this on two feet and too large to get anywhere that felt safe.

Suddenly Steve grabbed his arm and tugged him in, close, and Danny found himself being held tightly. He wanted to fight it, not quite sure he could trust Steve's motivations. But Steve just put his hand on the back of Danny's neck, and began to rub gently.

The pounding in Danny' head began to ease, ever so slightly, and Danny felt himself fall forward against Steve's body.

"I'm sorry," Steve whispered, a moment later.

Danny just closed his eyes, letting Steve hold him and massage away the ache in his skull, and deep down some part of him wished he could purr.

~~~

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